Plans for Sainsbury’s and student flats at Mitcham’s Corner set to be rejected over fears development would ‘swamp’ Portland Arms pub

Plans for a Sainsbury’s and accommodation for 260 students are set to fail their examination.

Dozens of residents have opposed the plans for Mitcham’s Corner in Cambridge and councillors have now been recommended to refuse the scheme, amid fears the scale of the design would “swamp” the Portland Arms pub.

The application would see the Alexander House offices and the Furniture Direct store, either side of the pub, replaced with six blocks arranged around a central courtyard and stretching back to Corona Road to extend the existing four-storey terrace there.

The development would front onto Milton Road and Victoria Road, three storeys tall, and there would be a 4,300 sq ft Sainsbury’s food store north-east of the pub.

The planning committee will be told there have been 31 objections from residents, plus one from the Friends of Mitcham’s Corner, warning the designs lack the “quality and flair” required for such a prominent position.

Anne Cooper, the organisation’s chairman, said the proposal was promising in principle, and she welcomed amendments which were made in response to residents’ concerns.

But she added: “Unfortunately they do not go far enough to create a scheme that is in harmony with the neighbourhood and provides a genuine enhancement to Mitcham’s Corner.”

In a report to councillors, who meet on Wednesday, officer Catherine Linford said the designs would damage the Portland Arms, which is listed as a building of local interest.

She said: “The pub would be swamped by the proposed bulkier buildings on either side, which have taken no design inspiration from this building.”

She also raised concerns that the development would be out of scale and would damage Corona Road too.

The applicant, Merchant Place Developments, said it was “disappointed”.

A spokesman said: “The majority of residents were supportive of our plans to regenerate this rundown site with student accommodation and small food store, which is considered by planning officers to be appropriate for the area.

“As a result of this detailed feedback we have made many revisions to our plans – including considerably reducing the number of rooms – and will continue working to find a solution that will revive this long-forgotten development site.”